Eating New York - day 1

Since Dad came back Friday night I took advantage of my freedom and left for New York Saturday morning! Sadly I was not bold enough to take pictures of dinner the first night, but I did do some documenting after that. It was a quick trip, but I managed to fit in good times and good food. My culinary adventure started early Saturday evening when I went with Isabelle to her work to sample some famous cupcakes. She works at The Magnolia Bakery in the West Village. I have heard about this place plenty of times through other food sites and because they have their own cookbook, etc. I couldn't resist the opportunity to go line up outside this hot spot for a taste of those famous cupcakes! It's a small little place and people line up outside the door and around the corner to get these tasty treats. Although I had a chance to get VIP treatment and skip the line, I opted to wait outside with the other and peer in the window in anticipation so I could get the full experience. When my turn came, I was ushered in the door and immediately went and picked two cupcakes, one chocolate with chocolate frosting and the other vanilla with pink frosting. I paid for my confections and headed outside to try them (there is no room to stay inside, so the sidewalk is teeming with people eagerly opening their boxes and sampling the famous cupcakes.) I was one of those people. I must say that I thought they were quite good, though a little sugary. That, of course, is part of the appeal, but if I were making them at home I would use less icing just so there's no death by sugar overdose, but they were a yummy treat. I managed to snap a picture on the sidewalk before sampling, look how cute they are:


Look long and hard at the picture because that's the only one I have for this entry. I took off walking towards Union Square in an effort to wear off some of the sugar and kill time before Michael got off work. Michael didn't make me wait long, he called before I even made it to Union Square and we agreed to meet there and go to dinner. I went in the new Whole Foods while I waited. It was so large and impressive. I loved it so much that I went back and had lunch there on my last day before I had to take off for the airport to catch my flight. But, Michael came and we walked around looking for a place to eat. After much deliberation we decided that French Roast was the place for us. Here is a picture that I didn't take:

This was a cute little place in the West Village that is open 24 hours. We went in and were seated immediately. We decided to share a bottle of Riesling, so we ordered that and contemplated our dinner options, meanwhile we were presented with bread. Michael went with the roasted half chicken. I decided on the cod with a vegetable/fruit compote. I'm not really sure what all was in the compote, but it complemented the fish well. I liked my dinner a lot, the fish was nicely seasoned and cooked to perfection, and it went well with the wine. I wish I had pictures of dinner so I could expand more upon what all we had, but alas, I wasn't brave enough. But, we had dessert too! As we browsed the dessert menu Michael informed me that he had never tried creme brulée before. I was shocked, but he ended up getting one of those, so now he's experienced. I had a HUGE glass of mango sorbet. We both agreed that it was really good, but it was more than I was expecting. Trey would have loved it, he is a big fan of mango sorbet. But, Michael helped me finish it, and I even sampled his creme brulée. I thought it was a nice dinner, and I would definitely go back to French Roast any time.